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1300 Semple Ave St Louis, MO 63112

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – Police have identified a man who was found dead on a north St. Louis street Monday night.

On Monday, investigators were called to the 1300 block of Semple Avenue near Page Boulevard after they received reports that a man had been struck by a vehicle and was not breathing.

When officers arrived, they found the male victim lying in the roadway. He had puncture wounds on his neck that appeared to be stab wounds. Upon further investigation, officials determined the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a vehicle strike as first reported.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as Benny Hill, 53, from St. Loius.

The first officers at the scene suggested that Hill was dumped from a van that witnesses reported seeing in the area earlier Monday night. Witnesses told police they saw Hill inside the van with another man before his body was discovered in the roadway.

Tuesday morning, police found a 2001 white Ford Econoline van that matched the description of the one that witnesses saw at the scene. It was found in an alley off Newstead and Kossuth avenues. According to reports, writing on the side of the van and the reported license plate matched the one found at this location.

News 4’s Mike Colombo talked to the van’s owner who told him he let Hill borrow the van for some work. The owner believes Hill was robbed or carjacked.

Hill’s cause of death has not yet been determined and no suspects have been named.